Knitted headwear



I Dec. 2, 19 41.- w. E. SCHUESSLER KNITTED HEADWEAR 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 4, 1940 Dec. 2, 1941. SCHUESSLER 2,264,594

KNITTED HEADWEAR Filed March 4, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 2, 1941 UNITED smres earner A orrlce KNITTED HEADWEAR P 1 Walter E. Schuessler, Chicago, n1.

Application March 4, 1940, Serial No. 322,196

'7 Claims, (.01. 2-195) This invention relates to knitted headwear and more particularly to a knitted headpiece equipped with a visor.

In the manufacture of knitted'caps, and particularly caps having smooth or non-rolled exteriors and equipped with visors, it is customary to cut out portions and stitch thecut portions together to form the completed article. Such operations require accurate cutting and the subsequent steps of picking up the ends of the portions cut to prevent unraveling, and finally the sewing of the parts together. Uneven edges and often loose stitches are formed as a result of this operation.

'An object of the present invention is to form a cap smooth on its exterior, such as a tailored or fitted cap, and equipped with a visor, the entire operation being formed from an integral swatch and by joining together edges thereof. A further object is to provide a method for forming a visored knitted cap from a continuously knitted strip by cutting off separate swatches of the desired length and joining the edges thereof, no cutting 'of the edges being required. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is illustrated in a preferred embodiment by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a swatch formed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a plan view of a visored cap formed by joining the edges of said swatch; Fig. 3, a front view in elevation of said completed cap with the ear flaps folded upwardly; Fig. 4, a side view in elevation of said cap with the ear flaps folded upwardly; and Fig. 5, a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the ear flaps folded downwardly.

The swatch A, shown in Fig. 1, may be formed in a single knitting operation as a complete swatch for forming .the cap. It is more economical, however, to form a continuous strip of material formed by zigzag stitching, and then cutting from the continuous strip the swatch shown in Fig. l. The only cut portions of the swatch are those at the ends H1 in the latter operation.

The method of forming the zigzag shaped strip illustrated is well known in the knitting field and need not be described.

It will be noted that the swatch A has at the bottom thereof three V-recesses H, l2 and I3, and at the top four recesses l4, I5, l6 and I1.

swatch are a little longer than the sides-forming the other recesses.

In the cap-forming operation, I first bring together the ends ID of the swatch and join them by the row of stitches indicated by the numeral I9. The V-recess I1 is then closed by the stitches 20, the V-recess l6 by the stitches 2!, the V-recess I 5 by the stitches 22, and the V-recess [4 by the stitches 23.

The only V-recess closed on the front sid'e of the swatch is V-reoess I2 closed by stitches 2 It will be noted that when the V-recess i2 is closed, a peak or a downwardly curved body is formed between the V-recesses II and I3. When the peak is folded upwardly, it forms a curved pocket substantially of the shape of the visor insert. When the usual visor insert of the shape illustrated is inserted within the pocket and the upper edge of the fiap is stitched, a visor is produced of the character illustrated. The depending peaks or points 26 andZl on the outer side of the V-recesses II and 13 provide the ear fiaps indicated by the same numerals.

Thus, it is found that a complete visored cap is formed, together with ear fiaps, from a swatch cut from a continuously knitted zigzag strip without cutting the walls of the swatch at any point. The joining of the sides forming the V-recess l2 tends to curl upwardly and when swung to an upper folded position provides a curved pocket having the shape of the visor illustrated. Thus, when the visor is inserted and pressed into position to stretch the knitted fabric, as illustrated, and when the upper end of the visor is stitched along the line 28, a smooth and uniformlystretched fabric is formed about the visor, the inner points of the recesses H and I3 provide a natural break between the visor pocket and the remainder of the swatch, while at the same time the peaks 26 and 21, without further treatment, become the ear fiaps shown. The stretched portion of the material about the visor tends to hold the ear flaps 26 and 21 into close relation to the body of the cap when turned upwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and in confining relation about the ears when in the downward position illustrated in Fig. 5.

The speed and accuracy wlth which the caps are formed is difficult to realize. The knitting operator turns out on the knitting machine a continuous strip of zigzag strip knitting. Another operator cuts the strip to form the swatches A. Then the swatch A is quickly joined along the lines indicated to form the Preferably, the sides it? near the ends of the 5 united cap. First, the cut edges I0 are joined,

and then the top recesses l4, l5, l6 and H. The only closing at the front of the swatch is of the V-recess l2. When this is turned upwardly and the visor insert pressed into position, the single strip 25 completes the cap. The finished product has no out edges whatever except at the line In where it was severed from the continuous strip. If the swatch A is knitted as an entirety, then there are no cut edges whatever. There is no requirement for the operator to cut the cloth, gather the edges, and to fashion the cap, as has heretofore been the practice. Should the finished cap at some later time become weakened so that one of the uniting stitches 20, 2|, 22 or 23 yields, there is no tendency for the stitches to unravel along the edges because they are selvaged edges and the broken stitch can be readily repaired by a new stitch.

In folding back the front portion of the swatch to form the pocket for the visor, the flap may be folded under or over, thus forming the pocket underneath or on the top. The visor is then inserted and the top or inner end of the flap is stitched to the body of the cap. There is an advantage in turning the visor flap downwardly and stitching the inner end to the underside of the cap in that this tends to pull the ear flaps downwardly, thus causing the ear flaps to cling closer about the ears of the wearer.

While in the foregoing description, I have set forth certain details as desirable and as illustrating the method and product, it will be understood that those skilled in the art may widely modify such steps and details without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a method for forming a knitted visorcap, the steps of knitting a swatch with the front side provided with three V-recesses and the rear side provided with four V-recesses, joining the ends of the swatch and joining the opposing edges of each of the four recesses on the rear side, joining the opposing edges of the central recess on the front side, folding the said joined sides of said central recess, inserting a visor therein, and stitching the top of the folded portion to the body of the cap.

2. In a method for forming a knitted visorcap, the steps of knitting a swatch with the front side thereof provided with three successive V-recesses and the rear side provided with a plurality of V-recesses, joining the ends of the swatch and joining the recesses at the rear thereof, joining the opposing edges of the central recess at the front side of the swatch and folding the same to form a visor pocket, inserting a visor in said pocket, and stitching the top of said pocket portion to the body of the cap.

3. In a method for forming a knitted visorcap, the steps of knitting a continuous strip of a zigzag shape, cutting from said continuous strip a swatch having at one side thereof three successive V-recesses and at the other side thereof a plurality of V-recesses, joining the ends of said swatch, joining the opposing edges of said last-mentioned V-recesses, joining the opposing edges of the central of said first-mentioned recesses and folding the same to form a visor flap, inserting a visor in said flap, and stitching the top of the folded portion to the body of the cap.

4. In a method for forming a knitted visorcap equipped with ear flaps, the steps of knitting a swatch of a zigzag shape with the front side provided with three successive V-recesses and the rear side provided with four successive V-recesses, joining the ends of the swatch by stitches, stitching together the V-recesses at the rear side of the swatch, joining the opposing edges of the central recess on the front side to form a visor flap including one side of the recesses on opposite sides of said central recess, said remaining side of said recesses on either side of said central recess providing with the sides adjacent the ends of the swatch oppositely disposed ear flaps, folding said visor flap portion to form a pocket, inserting a visor within said pocket, and stitching the top portion thereof to the body of the cap.

5. A knitted visor-cap formed of a single knitted swatch, the front side of said swatch being provided with three successive V-recesses with the opposing edges of the central V-recess joined by stitches to form a visor flap folded upon itself, a visor within said folded visor flap and enclosed therein by stitches, and the ends and rear portions of said swatch being closed to form a completed cap.

6. A knitted visor-cap formed of a single knitted swatch, the front side of said swatch being provided with three successive V-recesses, the opposing edges of the central V-recess being joined by stitches and the joined portion folded to form a visor pocket, a visor within said pocket, stitches securing the upper end of said pocket to said swatch body, and stitches uniting the ends of said swatch and the rear portions thereof to form a completed cap.

'7. A knitted visor-cap formed of a single knitted swatch, the front side of said swatch being provided with three successive Vrecesses and the rear side of said swatch being provided with four successive V-recesses, the central V-recess of the front side of said swatch having its opposing edges joined and folded to form a visor pocket, a visor within said pocket, stitches closing said pocket with the visor therein, and stitches joining the ends of said swatch and the opposing edges of said four V-recesses at the rear side of said swatch.

WALTER E. SCHUESSLER. 

